Thank you very much for the reply. I think Quinn charge about £35 for cancellation (plus admin possibly). I've already paid the insurance in full so I should get between £200 - £300 back from them.

I would try and haggle with them first by using the cheaper quotes. If they can't reduce the amount that they ask for then I'll switch. The loss of that half year of NCD doesnt really matter considering the difference in costs anyway. I still have one full year of NCD from last year.

I just wanted to know for a fact that I definitely could switch without too much hassle. I just like to be prepared.

Thank you very much.

...I also agree with you about looking for learners insurance first. I paid well over what I should have for my first year of provisional insurance.

Yes you can cancel the Quinn policy and arrange cover elsewhere. Be careful, as Quinn will apply cancellation charges which you will need to pay. Also if you are only part way into the Quinn policy, you would not gain any no claims discount for that policy period. Make sure any quotes obtained are using the correct no claims discount.

Yes you can cancel straightaway and arrange elsewhere. Quinn may ask you to post back the certificate of Insurance. Quinn may also ask you to pay the relevant cancellation charges when you call them. I don't think Quinn wait for the certificate to come back before cancelling, but they may ask that you whether you have Insured the vehicle elsewhere, as Insurance is a legal requirement.

I would suggest that you phone Quinn to find out the cancellation process and costs. You don't want to arrange cover elsewhere and then realise you can't afford to pay Quinn their cancellation charges.

Nb. To the OP and anyone viewing this post. It may have worked out cheaper to have arranged a learners Car Insurance e.g collingwood learners and then to have switched to a normal Car Insurance upon gaining a full license. Usually if you take out a normal Car Insurance and then amend the policy mid term to a full license, it costs more. Also because of the cancellation charges, you feel like you being held to ransom. i.e can't afford to pay the charges and arrange a policy elsewhere.

Hello, I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on my situation. I've been looking for a while online but cant find any answers specific to my questions.


I will be having my driving test on 31st of January, hopefully I'll pass, and assuming I do I know that I will have to inform my insurance company (Quinn Direct) of the change and they will ask for additional money from me to cover the remaining time on my policy.

From the looks of things they could ask for a considerable sum (the prices they quote for new licence holders/discussions on forums from customers).

I will have 6 months left on my policy from the day I pass (If I do). Now I have got myself some quotes from other providers on here and used some basic maths to work out how much the price would be for those 6 months, and the lowest is around £450. If Quinn ask me for any more that this then I would be wasting money and would be better off switching.

I realise that if my policy was simply coming up for renewal, or even just in the middle of the year then I could switch no problem. I'm just uncertain as to the rules with regards the change from provisional to full licence. Do I have to pay my current company or is it ok to switch companies.

Long story short - on the day of passing my driving test:

1. am I allowed to say no to my insurance company if they ask for more than the amount I've been quoted elsewhere?
2. Would I be able to cancel the old policy and immediately (on the same day) take out a new policy with a cheaper provider?
3. They ask for the cover document to be sent back to them (according to their FAQ) in order to cancel the policy formally - I assume this could take several days - is it ok to take out new insurance before the old one has been completely revoked?

Any help would be very much appreciated.
Thank you
Ian